Removable chair for reinforced concrete construction



' R. B. SMITH. REMOVABLE CHAIR FOR REINFORCEDCONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

x APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT. 20, 1913-- 1,3?3 @66 Patented Mar, 29, 1921.

' ing under steam or air pressure.

RUSSELLB. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

REMOVABLE CHAIR FOB. REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mi 29 1921 Application filed September 20, 1918. Serial No. 254,983.

'forced Concrete Construction, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representin like parts.

1 y present invention relates to a novel type of removable, supporting and alining chair for reinforced concrete building construction.

Heretofore it has been customary, in building up a concrete structure with reinforcing metal such as bars and metal lath or wire mesh, to employ temporaryv forms, molds, or false-work, to which the metallic reinforcements were secured and held while the concrete was applied. This prior method was unsatisfactory, expensive and cumbersome, particularly where the concrete was applied by the use of a cement gun, operat- The object of the present invention is to improve and perfect the building construction utilizing a cement un to eliminate the building up of an uncfue amount of molds, forms and the like, and to provide novel means in the form of a removable alining and supporting chair which would both hold and aline the metal reinforcing during the fabrication of the framework and until the same was ready for the application of the cement. These alining and supporting chairs could either be removed before the application of the cement and therefore used over again repeatedly or could be left in and covered by the cement, thus being an additional metal reinforcement to the completed structure.

In carryingv out my invention I prefer to utilize my novel type of removable alining and supporting chairs in connection with a wire lath or mesh, and reinforcing rods, including a fine or small mesh so that the cement or concrete can be applied directly thereupon from either side, or both sides, as desired, by a cement gun, such wire mesh holding and retaining the concrete as the same is applied until the desired thickness is built up thereon, although it will be appreciated that my invention is not thus limited but may be employed in other methods of concrete construction.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 2511,98 1 filed September 20, 1918, I have shown and described the present invention as applied to a reinforced concrete ship construction and have claimed the same therein, but in the present application, I have claimed, broadly, the feature and process of using the supporting and alining chair, which'may be removable, if desired, as applied to any type of building construction whereln concrete and reinforcing metal are employed. I believe it to be a distinct novelty in the art of reinforced concrete construction to provide a portion of the reinforcing metal framework which will both aline and support the wire, mesh, reinforcing rods, a plurality of such reinforcements, or other metallic members, permitting a qulck and economical assembling of all the parts, allowing complete and perfect inspection of the same prior to the application of the concrete, and permitting a removal of these alining and supporting members from the fabricated reinforced structure, just prior to the application of the concrete coverlng, or allowing same to remain in the structure, lending additional metallic reinforcement after the concrete is applied and it is these features which I wish to claim broadly herein.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and the method of carrying out same;

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the removable alining and supporting chair; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view partly in cross section, on a reduced scale, of a double wire mesh and reinforcing rods, showing how the alining and supporting chairs aid in assembling the same, and Fig. 3 being a fragmentary horizontal view of the same.

It will be appreciated that any desired type, make, or design of wire mesh, reinforcing rods, or a-plurality of the same may be employed. In the attached drawings I have illustrated in conventional form, the well known type of Hy-Rib mesh, so-called, together with a slightly heavier reinforcing mesh and iron or steel rods which are assembled, supported, and alined by my removable chair, all three reinforcing members being then wired together independently of the chairs, so that the metal structure thus prepared is self-sustaining, whereupon the supporting and alining chairs may be removed and the concrete, applied. As shown in the drawings, my novel type of removable supporting and alining chair comprises the portion 1, having thereon a plurality of vertically extending members 2, 3, 4 and 5, preferably in spaced pairs of suitable width to receive the heavier reinforcing bars, and the horizontally extending members 6 and 7 to receive and support the I-Iy-Rib mesh. If desired the members 3 and 4 may be united as a single spacing division but I prefer to form the same as shown for lightness, saving of material and for better interlocking with the concrete when these chairs are left in the structure as additional reinforcement. Then the Hy-Rib mesh 10 is employed, having thereon the reinforcing ribs 11, I prefer toform the arms 6 and 7 with a recess 12-12 in each, adapted to receive the rib 11. I may also recess the lower edges of the supporting chair as indicated at l3*13-13. The mesh 10 is then applied to the supporting chairs, by fitting the interstices over the vertical members 2, 3, 4, and 5, allowing the mesh to rest upon the horizontal parts6 and 7 with the rib 11 fitting within the recesses 12-12 in said arms, thus alining the mesh on the chair by the simple operation of applying it thereto. The heavier open mesh 15 can similarly be applied and then the reinforcing rods 16 fitted through the spaced members 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, respectively. This alines and supports the same and sustains the metal reinforcement in proper position, whereupon these members are secured together by wiring 17 at appropriate intervals. Thus the reinforcing metal meshes and bars are permanently secured together independently of the supporting and alining chairs, when the latter are to be removed before the concrete is applied. In case it is desired to include the supporting chairs as a part of the permanent structure, one or more wires 18 would also be applied, uniting the chair to the rest of the structure. In either instance a unit framework of metal reinforcement is provided constituting a self-sustaining fabrication of reinforcing rods and metal mesh, lath, or a plurality of the same, rigidly secured without temporary and removable molds, forms, etc, ready for inspection from both sides to see that the same is in proper alinement, correct position, and in accordance with strength desired, prior to the application of the concrete and yet ready for immediate covering by the concrete, which maybe applied from either or both sides by a cement gun. The concrete may be filled in to any depth desired, as noted, for example, in dotted lines A and B, Fig. 2.

In building up the framework, suitable supports or beams 20 are positioned on which the chairs are fitted in desired line and spacing for the particular work in hand.

If these chairs are to be removed prior to the application of the concrete, then they may be wired or otherwise held to the beams 20, as indicated at 21, so that after the reinforcing mesh, bars, etc. are. applied and secured together in a self-sustaining framework, then the beam 20 can be moved for a shooting operation and simultaneously will withdraw the chairs from the reinforcing framework, I contemplate that, in ordinary work, the reinforcing fabrication thus described will be self-sustaining for spans of 10 to 15 feet and that the supporting beams 20 may be removed for the shooting of the concrete onto the structure, whereupon temporary supports may be applied under the completed portion and the adjacent 12 or 15 foot span prepared for shooting by removal of the beams, and so on until the structure is completed.

My novel type of alining and supporting chairs may be varied in design and modified in size as may be desirable, without departing from the scope of my invention. The spacing of the upright members 2, 3, 4, and 5 may also be varied and a larger plurality of such members may be formed, but the use of two heavy reinforcing rods, in pairs is customary, and therefore I have shown my type of chairas herein explained. The horizontal members 6 and 7 may also be in creased in number, if desired. The support ing and alining chair can be positioned relatively with the concrete receiving mesh at an angle, 1f desired, particularly when the mesh is wlthout the ribs 11, in case the re1nforcing bars 16 are applied angularly at any point, the important feature of having the concrete receiving mesh interlocked over the projections 2, 3, 4, and 5 and resting upon the arms 6 and 7, constituting a fundamental characteristic, whether the mesh and bars are arranged-at right angles or otherwise.

My present invention is further described and definedin the form'of claim as follows:

A supporting and alining chair for reinforcing framework for concrete construction, comprising a body member, a plurality of vertically extending members thereon arranged in pairs and lying in a vertical plane and spaced apart from each other, a pair of horizontally extending members, one at each end of the, body member, and alining means for receiving the reinforcement of a mesh on each horizontal member, in alinement with each other. r

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

7 RUSSELL B. SMITH. Witnesses L. A. WALSH, E, V. V AIN, 

